Lake Forest College is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicki Pieart as Director of Athletics, effective March 1, 2022. This follows the recent request of current Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach Jim Catanzaro to focus full time on coaching as opposed to administration.
Named Director of Athletics last summer following a national search, Catanzaro initially planned to transition out of coaching over the next two years and move into the administrative position full time. However, personal reflection over the past several months has given him a change of heart.
Pieart, currently the Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator at Aurora University, was the top external candidate in the search last summer. "The College is thrilled that Nicki is ready and available to join us this spring," said Jackie Slaats, Vice President for Career Advancement and Athletics.
Catanzaro agrees. "After 18 months of COVID protocols in college athletics and the loss of the 2020 season, I was confident that I was ready to move on from coaching football and move onto the next chapter of my career in collegiate athletics as an administrator," he began. "The fall 2021 football season was the most rewarding and enjoyable I have had in 20 years of coaching. It was not the championship, but rather the return to engaging with student-athletes on a daily basis that I realized was the biggest contributor to my enjoyment. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to be the head football coach at Lake Forest. I am also looking forward to assisting Nicki with the transition into her new position within our department and I am excited to be working with her in this role."
"While this is not something expected, I support Jim's career decision and am happy he will continue providing the strong leadership he has to our football program," stated Lake Forest College Vice President for Athletics and Career Advancement Jackie Slaats. "His passion for coaching football is indeed special and the success of our program this year and throughout his time here is a testament to it. I am grateful for the administrative guidance Jim provided this fall as director of athletics and, although in a lesser capacity, the leadership he will continue to provide our department moving forward."
Pieart will begin her new position at the College following a successful 14-year tenure at Aurora that saw her fill various roles in the athletic department.
A 2004 graduate of Aurora, Pieart returned to her alma mater in 2008 as an Assistant Athletic Trainer and was promoted to Head Athletic Trainer four years later. She also became a member of the administration at that time as Senior Woman Administrator. In her current role as Aurora's Associate Athletic Director, Pieart manages the athletic training department and is responsible for the health and safety of more than 700 student-athletes. She also oversees the athletics department budget as well as all aspects of NCAA compliance and eligibility. In her time at Aurora, she has also spearheaded facility and event management, community service initiatives, gender equity, and camps and clinics while also directly supervising four Spartan sports.
In addition to her official positions within the athletic department, Pieart has served on several key committees at Aurora, fostered relationships with local organizations to provide weekly service opportunities for the Spartan student-athletes, currently serves as the Vice-Chair for the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport, is a member of the NCAA Men's Soccer Regional Advisory Committee, and has chaired the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Senior Woman Administrator, Athletic Training, and Student-Athlete Advisory Committees.
A two-sport athlete (basketball and soccer) at Aurora, Pieart went on to earn a master's degree in education from Northern Illinois University in 2007. Prior to returning to Aurora, Pieart was an athletic trainer for ATI Physical Therapy, working with the Chicago Bandits and Benedictine University.
"We are excited and fortunate to welcome Nicki to the College as our next Director of Athletics," commented Slaats. "Her track record as a strong leader and skilled administrator is impeccable and as an exceptional candidate in our recent national search, certainly a silver lining in this mid year transition. Nicki made a great impression on everyone she met with throughout the search process and we look forward to having her join our Forester community in this important leadership role."